Duck Takes Charge
by Transformers 0
Summary: An adaptation expansion on one of my favorite stories.
1. Mantra

**Duck Takes Charge**

 **Mantra**

Percy grinned excitedly, feeling his fire flare as he raced into the yard where Gordon and James were resting. He screeched to a halt beside them.

"You're coaches are ready, you two, and good morning!" the little green engine bustled.

"Thank you, servant," Gordon spoke back. Percy's pistons popped upon hearing the snide insult, but he bit back a reply. He knew he kinda deserved it after all the previous trouble he had caused for the both of them. So he tried a different tactic: changing topics.

"Do you know what?" he stammered out, unsure of where he was going with this.

"What?" grunted Gordon, opening a sleepy eye. James didn't reply though, so with a bit of indignation, Percy started again.

"Do you know _what_?"

"Silly!" snapped Gordon, unintentionally startling James awake.

"What?! Where?!" the red engine spluttered, though Gordon and Percy were in a standoff and not really paying him any attention.

"The Fat Controller told me that he's getting a new engine to help, as the work in the yard is beginning to get too heavy for me."

"Rabbish!" cut in James, "Any engine could do it! You're just a silly little engine that talks too much! Without YOU, this yard would be much more better, much more peaceful, and a much more happier place!"

At this, Percy stormed off to work, well away from them. But he had to stop his tears from flowing, so he decided to vent his thoughts into irritated ramblings.

"That signal!"

A chuff.

"That stupid signal!"

A puff.

"That stupid old signal!"

A bang and a bash.

"Watch it!" shrieked some coaches.

"No one respects me now," huffed Percy.

A clank and a cling.

"They think I'm stupid! But I'll show them! I'll show them!"

"Percy."

"I'll show them!"

"Percy."

"I'll show THEM!"

"Percy!" his driver grunted, finally snapping the little engine out of his mentally sick reverie.

"We're coupled. We can go now," his driver continued. Percy sighed and chuffed off, coaches in tow.

"Yes sir."

But deep in his smokebox, a quiet and insane mantra floated around.

 _"I'll show them."_

* * *

 **My adaptation will be like a novelization which expands the story.**

 **Hopefully you'll see more frequent updates than you do on my bigger stories.**

 **Transformers 0 over the moon and out!**


	2. Waddle

**Waddle**

Percy worked hard in the yard all day. But all he ever got was disapproving looks from Gordon, Henry and James.

Well, he didn't get looks like that from Thomas and Edward, but they were absent, away running their own branchlines and so they couldn't stick around much to defend him.

By the end of the day, he was worn out and his spirit cut and bleeding. He shunted the last train behind Henry, who departed with a vulgar wheesh directed towards him. Percy rolled forwards depressingly. Unfortunately, or fortunately (he didn't know or care at this point), the Fat Controller was waiting at the head of the platform, observing his currently youngest engine bustle about.

"Hello Percy!" he cheerfully greeted, seeing the young engine in low spirits, "You look tired."

Percy wearily shifted his eyes over to look at his controller. The one who had forgiven him for all the mischief and disturbance he had caused over the past few weeks. The one who was one of the few living beings nowadays to be wholeheartedly happy to see him. He silently thanked the Maker for allowing the existence of such a wonderful man known as Sir Topham Hatt.

"Yes sir. I am, sir," he wheeshed sadly, "I don't know whether I'm standing on my dome or on my wheels."

"You look the right way up to me," the Fat Controller laughed, "Cheer up! The new engine is bigger than you, and can most likely do the work alone. Would you like to help Thomas and Toby renovate Brendam Harbour? I know they'd be happy to see you."

Percy's heart sang.

"Oh yes sir! Thank you sir!" he puffed ecstatically.

Percy was so happy when he trundled back to the sheds, that he didn't care much about the insults that the big engines threw his way. He just idled into his berth, tuned out the annoying voices, and fell asleep at once.

* * *

The new engine arrived the next day. He was a brilliant, young pannier tank engine, with six small wheels like Thomas and a coat of paint the colour of life like Percy's.

The Fat Controller greeted him in the shunting yards.

"What's your name?"

"Montague, sir. But I'm usually called Duck," the engine replied, "The people on my old railway say I waddle. I don't really, sir. But I prefer Duck over Montague."

"Good. Duck your name shall be," the Fat Controller said.

Just then, Percy trundled in.

"Hello!" he cheerfully called to the younger engine, "I'm Percy. Who are you?"

"I'm Duck, the new engine," the Great Western replied, "I came from Paddington to help you."

"And that's deeply appreciated," Percy chuffed, taking a liking to the newbie.

"Good to see that you two are already getting along!" beamed the Fat Controller, "Now Percy, may you kindly show Duck around?"

"Yes sir! Definitely, sir!" Percy replied, grinning from buffer to buffer.

The Fat Controller, seeing that everything was well, nodded and started to stroll back to his office.

"Now Duck, let's show you the ropes," said Percy excitedly. He trundled out of the yard, and Duck followed the older engine.

* * *

Soon enough, the two engines were talking as if they had been old friends.

And in a way, they were…

"Say Percy, you look familiar to one of my old friends," spoke up Duck at one random point during the day.

"Ooh yes," replied Percy, "You might know Trojan."

"Yes!" bustled Duck, rolling his eyes joyfully.

"He's my older brother," continued Percy, remembering his own time working on the Great Western, "After he was manufactured, his blueprints were altered to make me. The main difference between us is that you can see that I have an enclosed cab and a bunker."

"No wonder we get along so well!" Duck bubbled excitedly, wheeshing out jets of steam.

"Indeed we do, buddy. Now let's continue with our jobs – the Great Western Way," grinned Percy, chuffing off with a line of trucks in tow.

* * *

The big engines watched the little ones with interest.

Duck bustled about without fuss.

Percy seemed to be his old cheery self again.

"The newcomer seems to be a simple sort of engine," observed Henry.

"We'll soon sort that," hummed James mischievously, "Let's gas him!"

"Oh I don't know. He seems nice," Henry started, but was cut off by Gordon.

"Oh come on, Henry," he huffed, "This will be fun! Treat animals like their animals. Ducks can't be domesticated anyway."

Duck had just arrived shunting a line of empty express coaches for Gordon. Suddenly Gordon and James started forwards.

"WHEESH!" they hissed, and blasted Duck with plumes of steam. The Great Western was left feeling groggy, dazed, and a bit damp. The big engines had slunk off while he was still stuck in the haze.

Percy chuffed up beside Duck. The older engine was furious.

"Why, I'll–!"

"They'll get tired of it, Percy," the younger engine replied. He wanted to diffuse the situation, as he did not wish for trouble on his first day.

The trouble was that the big engines didn't tire of quacking Duck whenever they passed by him. By noon time they started to order him about too.

"You're too slow. Work harder, Useless," huffed Henry, waiting impatiently as Duck shunted some vans behind him.

"Sorry!" the little engine called from behind, "I needed to find James' trucks first!"

"Yeah, well, sluggish behaviour like that on our railway is unacceptable," snorted Henry as he pulled away from the station. Poor breathless Duck couldn't reply.

"Oi! Quackster! Fetch me my coaches!" demanded Gordon from nowhere, making the pannier tank jump.

"I'm sorry, Mr… um…"

"Gordon, you half-wit! Haven't you heard of me from your Great Western friends," the big blue engine huffed haughtily.

"Um, no. I can't say I have," mumbled Duck soullessly.

"Hmph. That railway must be so backwards with the times," Gordon noted, and steamed off before Duck could process the insult.

"What?! Hey! You can't say that about–"

"About the railway where you waddlers come from? I think we very well can!" puffed James as he steamed loftily by.

Okay, this was getting too much. Duck started to cry.

"I DO NOT WADDLE!" he shouted, tears clogging his voice. But nobody heard it but him.

* * *

Needless to say, Percy was enraged to find a depressed Duck slowly shunting the rest of the trucks in a siding.

"They've honestly gone too far this time!" he snapped to himself. His fire burned fiercely.

"Percy?" a quiet, subdued whisper came from the younger engine.

"Uh huh?" he replied, gentle warmth lathering his voice.

"Do they tell you to do things, Percy?"

"Yes they do! Unspeakable things!"

And in that moment, Percy saw Duck's inner strength. He saw the pannier tank snap out of his depressed funk. He saw the pannier tank reignite his resolve.

"Right!" declared Duck, "We'll soon stop that nonsense!"

He whispered a plan to Percy.

"Yes," hummed Percy in excitement, "We'll do it tonight!"

Their drivers and firemen agreed.

And so, with hearts of courage blazing, the two former Great Westerns set off for the sheds.


	3. Wheesh

**Wheesh**

It was late afternoon, and the big engines were looking forward to a rest before taking their evening trains. They trundled past Knapford Station on their way to Tidmouth Sheds. There, they saw Duck just outside one of the berths. And Percy was on the turntable.

"Hurry up, you little insect," grumbled Gordon, letting out a condescending wheesh of steam.

"No. He won't," Duck simply said back.

"What did you say, junior?" James stuttered incredulously.

"I'm sorry. What I said was No. Percy will _not_ be backing off the turntable," the new engine said cheekily.

At this, Gordon, Henry and James went red in the ace. Well, James went redder than ever. Duck and Percy braced themselves for the ensuing racket that was to follow.

* * *

It was late afternoon, and Sir Topham Hatt was looking forward to hot buttered toast for tea at home. Suddenly he heard an extraordinary noise!

"WHEESH!"

"QUACK QUACK!"

"WADDLE WADDLE!"

"QUACK QUACK!"

"STUBBY!"

"TUBBY!"

"NOBODY CALLS ME TUBBY!"

"WHEESH!"

The Fat Controller hurriedly strolled to his window to see lots of steam billowing over Tidmouth Sheds. "Oh no," he sighed. He could guess what would happen next.

"There's trouble in the sheds, sir. Percy and Duck will not let the big engines come in," reported the Knapford Stationmaster.

"Bother that!" muttered the Fat Controller darkly, "I'll see to it. Thank you for telling, Lucas."

With that, the Fat Controller picked up his hat off the rack and grimly started making his way to his car.

* * *

Henry, Gordon and James grew impatient.

"WHEESH!"

"Stop that noise!" thundered the Fat Controller, stepping out of his car.

"Sir, they are refusing to let us in!" Gordon huffed, setting his blazing eyes on the two little annoyances in front of him.

The Fat Controller waved Gordon to stand down. He knew this already. He stepped forward sternly.

"Duck," he turned to the youngest engine, "Explain this behaviour."

"Beg pardon sir," replied Duck humbly, "But I am a Great Western Engine. We do our work without fuss. But, begging your pardon sir, Percy and I would be glad if you would inform these… er, engines… that we only take orders from you."

"Oh boy," said all the drivers and firemen. They had been trying to diffuse the ticking time bomb and persuade the engines on both sides to make up with each other. Unfortunately, engines tended to be stubborn, and the crews were certain that what Duck had just said was the final nail in the coffin.

Gordon, Henry and James blasted their whistles furiously.

"SILENCE!" snapped the Fat Controller. He turned to his youngest engines.

"Percy and Duck, I am proud of your work today, but not with your behaviour tonight. Blocking a turntable and the sheds are serious misdemeanours, and you both have caused a disturbance."

Percy and Duck's faces fell. They could clearly see now the disappointment that their controller radiated, and now they felt depressed and sick to their boilers. It was so unfair! They didn't start this! Tears started to prick at their eyes. They didn't mean for this to happen. But it had.

So it was unexpected to them when the Fat Controller wheeled about and shouted to the big engines in an even angrier tone.

"As for YOU!" Hatt pointed to his railway powerhouses, "YOU'VE BEEN WORSE! YOU MADE THE DISTURBANCE! Duck is QUITE RIGHT! This is NOT just your railway and you DO NOT have the right to harass others as they go about their work!"

Gordon, Henry and James were deeply abashed and ashamed. They didn't sleep at Tidmouth Sheds for the next few nights.

* * *

After Percy left to help renovate the harbour, Duck was left to manage on his own. He didn't mind, though.

The trucks, vans and wagons behaved well under his command. Gordon, Henry and James now respected him.

And he had made a solid first friend in Percy the Small Engine.


End file.
